Category: NCAA-B

Tonight I like the Syracuse Orange plus the 4.5 points against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga is 1-5-1 ATS in the last 7 vs. the ACC, and are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games. The Orange are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 non-conference games and 5-1 ATS at a neutral site. Tournament play comes down to coaching. Who would you like to have – Jim Boheim with a 55-30 NCAA tournament record, 4 Final Fours and 1 championship or Mark Few with a 21-16 NCAA tournament record, no Final Four appearances and no championships. I like the future Hall-of-Famer Boheim and the Q.

Tonight’s pick:

Syracuse Orange +4.5

The Duke Blue Devils and the Oregon Ducks square off tonight and I like the Ducks in this one to advance to the elite eight. On a neutral court, Oregon is averaging 79.2 points per game and allowing an average of 66.8. On the flip side, Duke is averaging 79.8 points per game but giving up an average of 78.5 points on a neutral site. The Ducks are a perfect 10-0 over their last 10, and when leading at the half they are 25-0 in their last 25. The number has climbed to 3 with the hook so I’m siding with Oregon and the money line -165. That half a point could come into play.

Tonight’s pick:

Oregon Ducks -165

The Yale Bulldogs and Duke Blue Devils square off today in tournament play. The Bulldogs are a dangerous team. They’re 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games. On a neutral site, they’re holding teams to an average of 66.0 points per game. On the flip side, the Blue Devils are holding teams to an average of 80.6 points per game. This is not the Duke of old. I think Yale should get under the number.

Today’s pick:

Yale Bulldogs +6.5

The 27-7 St. Joe’s Hawks and the 22-10 Cincinnati Bearcats hit the floor tonight in Spokane, Washington. The Hawks cover. They are 21-7-1 ATS in the last 29 overall and 5-0 ATS in the last 5 on a neutral site. The Hawks have the edge in points per game, field goals, free throws, and turnovers. The Bearcats do not do well on common turf. They are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games and in non-conference play they are also 1-6 ATS in their last 7. On the flip side, the Hawks are 7-0-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games. St. Joe’s looked impressive on Sunday with their 87-74 win over VCU. With that said, I’m taking the 2.5 and siding with the Hawks.

Tonight’s pick:

St. Joe’s Hawks +2.5

The 23-10 Providence Friars and the 21-12 USC Trojans get things rolling tonight at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. On neutral turf, Providence is allowing an average of 68.4 points per game and USC is allowing an average of 78.0 points per game. The Friars are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall, and on a neutral site they are a covering machine, going 13-3 ATS in their last 16. The Trojans have trouble against the Big East where they are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. If the defense plays up to its potential and Bentil and Dunn play well, Providence should prevail.

Tonight’s pick:

Providence Friars -2

The 12-20 Southeastern Louisiana Lions and the 16-15 Houston Baptist Huskies square off today in Katy, Texas. The Huskies are averaging 77.4 points per game and allowing an average of 75.5. The Lions are averaging 71.1 points per game and giving up the same as the Huskies, 75.5 points per game. These two teams met on January 9th and Houston Baptist clobbered Southeastern Louisiana 77-58. The numbers say Houston Baptist -1.5.

Today’s pick:

Houston Baptist Huskies -1.5

The North Dakota State Bisons and the Fort Wayne Mastodons hook up tonight on neutral turf in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. North Dakota State is just 2-13 ATS in their last 15 meetings with Fort Wayne. With the Mastodons averaging 80.6 points per game and the Bisons averaging 69.1, I’m laying the 2.5 and taking Fort Wayne.

Tonight’s pick:

IPFW Mastodons -2.5